


You, who destroyed me

by availec



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient China, Emotional Manipulation, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, also its not major character death its major character deathS, archive warnings are all at the end, the ending is all angst tbh, there is no happy ending you have been warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-08-19 17:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16538936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/availec/pseuds/availec
Summary: War has broken out between two neighbouring countries, and things are not looking good for Ruki when he's left behind in the enemy state. The appearance of a friendly villager willing to help signals a turn for the better, but as their relations deepen and the war escalates, Ruki soon realises that he might have been ensnared in a fate worse than death.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started off from a prompt list im doing with a friend, and the prompt was : bloodlust//tranquility. The same friend also helped me proofread this, so thanks to her <3  
> Explanations for the lousy excuses for country names are at the end

_Enemy territory is a horrible place to die._

This, Ruki was perfectly aware of.

_Dying is a slow and torturous process._

This, Ruki was also aware of. He was having the pleasure of experiencing it firsthand, and it was definitely not his best moment.

He had found himself in a truly pitiful situation. Three years ago, war had broken out between two neighbouring states, his own, Anxi , and the country of Ya* that lay to the east. It had been nothing but a territorial dispute blown terribly out of proportion. Yet, even after three years, the cogs of war were still well oiled by spilled blood and continued to chug out tirelessly, delivering battle after battle.

Anxi had just fought a bitter war with another neighbouring country six years prior. Most people, with the memory of those harsh times stark in their minds, had grimaced at the thought of another war. It wasn’t worth it, they had said.

Ruki had been different. Upon hearing the news, he had been so excited he had practically thrummed with anticipation. So what if the economy went to the dogs? Ruki could fight, and as one of his King’s most valued generals, it would be a lot of fighting. It had been too long with no one to butcher, he had said.

What he had labelled as the ‘conservative’ elements in the country had clashed for months. Thankfully, Yaguo** had taken the matter out of their hands and had declared war with a very, very bloody flourish.

Ruki had crowed in victory. Calling it revenge in order to pacify his countrymen, he had gleefully mowed through battlefield after battlefield, kicking ass and slitting throats.

And now? He wasn’t even sure if he possessed enough energy to cut down a single man.

Grunting softly as he stumbled over a hidden tree root, Ruki’s head swam. His vision was streaked with grey, and he was navigating with an unsteady hand before him. His other hand, pressing gingerly against the knife wound on his flank, was soaked in red.

The wound wasn’t overly serious. It hadn’t pierced any major veins, arteries or organs, but it had incapacitated him just enough for him to get lost and left behind in a nearby forest after the battle. Just his luck, it had been an incredibly immense forest, and he had been trailing blood for ages.

If he were back in Anxi, he would have just gotten treated at the nearest village he could find. However, in Yaguo, not only could he not find a village, he also couldn’t be sure of his safety in any village he came across.

As he was busy calculating his chances of survival, a ray of sunlight hit him directly in the face. Squinting, he realised that he had finally exited the forest, and had stumbled upon the outskirts of a rural village. Although he could see other huts located further away, there was only one in close proximity.

Ruki paused for a while. He had only two options on hand. He could either avoid the hut and die alone, or he could enter the hut, offend the occupant until he struck Ruki down, and die a warrior’s death. Maybe he would even get buried if he got lucky.

Ruki let out a bitter snort. To him, there wasn’t even a choice.

Before opening the door to the hut, he made sure to conceal any hint of his injury and unsheathed his last blade. Then, he swung open the door, attached a smug smirk to his face, and strolled in.

The lone occupant of it immediately whirled around the moment he heard Ruki’s footsteps. Cocking his head to a side, he stared at Ruki quizzically. His eyes swept down the form leaning on the door frame of his house, taking in the dried blood still caked on his skin, the crest of Anxi on his sleeve, and the short blade being waved lazily in the air.

Taking note of all this, Ruki waved and fixed a predatory smile on his face. “Hi.”

Much to Ruki’s surprise, the brown haired occupant smiled back at him and returned his greeting. Even though the normal response in that situation would be to start panicking, the brunet seemed nearly... serene?

Ruki was still attempting to figure him out when the calm man spoke again. “So, what brings you here?”

Lost and confused, Ruki decided to play along. “I liked the decor of your house.”

“Thank you,” he smiles.

Wondering if the man intended to piss him off or was merely just dumb, Ruki waved the knife around for further emphasis. “I’d like to make it mine, and I’m just going to say, you’re this close to being my what, 50th Yamin*** kill today?”

Despite the fact that he had just made it very clear that his intention was looting and not a friendly chat over tea, the brunet showed no sign of unease.

Still smiling gently, he inclined his head. “I respectfully decline.”

Ruki’s eyes narrowed. “I dislike being told no to.”

“I can see that.”

Even injured and on the brink of death, Ruki didn’t appreciate what the man was insinuating. He bristled.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

The man just blinked slowly. “Nothing,” he shrugged, “Just that you seem like a very demanding person.”

“Demanding?”

Ruki’s plan was failing horribly. He, not the occupant of the hut, was getting more and more pissed off by the second.

“Do you need the definition of it?”

Those words were the last straw. Energy or no energy, Ruki was about to stab the man if it was the last thing he ever did.

However, the chance was taken away from him. Taking quick strides forward, the brunet removed the knife from his hand, and, before Ruki had the time to even blink, manoeuvred him into a nearby chair.

His head snapped up in shock and he opened his mouth to protest, but was immediately shushed by the other.

“Save your energy. You’re injured, aren’t you?” the stranger inquired. The smile that Ruki found irritating was still present on his face.

“No-“ Ruki denied, words proven false as he blacked out halfway. He pitched forward suddenly and was caught in the brunet’s strong arms.

When he regained enough strength to look up, he found the stranger staring patiently at him. Waiting.

“..Yes,” Ruki grudgingly admitted.

“Okay,” the stranger nodded to himself. Somehow taking out a first aid kit, he swiftly got to work and began to patch Ruki up.

Ruki stared at him with an incredulous gaze. He had threatened his life, and he was saving his in return?

“I could kill you,” he hissed.

“If you could, I’ll dead already.”the brunet was perfectly calm even as he spoke those words.

When Ruki remained silent, he continued.“Can you deny that?”

“...No.”

“I much prefer it when you’re being honest,” Ruki was rewarded with a warm smile. Momentarily flustered, he felt crimson spreading over his cheeks before he willed it down. Maybe he had had a weakness for kind attractive men. That had been when he was young and foolish, and he was a grown man now! He hadn’t even thought of such matters for years. It was likely just that long period speaking, he mused. However, Ruki couldn’t guarantee his emotional stability if such a thing happened again, so he desperately changed the subject. “How’d you-“

“Know?” the man cut him off, his hands still stemming Ruki’s bleeding. Upon seeing Ruki’s startled nod, he answered, “It seemed funny that you just leaned there and waved that small knife around. You’re an Anxi warrior, after all. You all aren’t known for being kind to us, you know?”

Ruki ignored the throb of guilt that the words invoked in him.

“Then why’d you-“

“Help you?,” he didn’t wait for the nod this time round, “you needed it...and you’re cute.”

“Am not!”

“You are.”

“Am I really?” Ruki asked, horrified. If he received an affirmative answer, his personal image would shatter. What would he have left?

The brunet laughed. “You seem to be. But appearance-wise, you’re positively frightening.”

Ruki wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a reference to all the blood. “You aren’t frightened.”

The stranger hummed to himself and took out a cloth. He begun to clean the blood off Ruki. “I’m not like that. I don’t get frightened.”

Ruki shifted to allow the man better access to his skin. “Is that possible?”

“I’ve never cried, either. People say that I'm totally emotionless. Does that bother you?”

Ruki thought back to the constant serenity of the man. It all seemed to make sense now.

He tilted his head to a side, shivering as the man began to strip him of his vest. The constant calm was rubbing off on him, and with the addition of no more blood loss, he was capable of rational thought once again. He was certain that the man meant him no harm, and so didn’t panic at the sudden action.

“Why would it?” he assured the other.

Once again, he was rewarded with that smile.“Thank you.”

“Does it... scare people?”

There was no change in the man’s demeanour, but Ruki thought that he detected a slight note of sadness. “Yes, it does.”

Ruki recognised that sadness. He had nearly drowned in it himself when he had been a teenager, when people had hissed in his face and called him a freak. It was a different situation and he was already past it, but he understood the pain of being judged and outcasted due to an innate part of oneself.

“It's their loss. Just because other people are different doesn’t make it unnatural or terrifying. Other people should just mind their own business,” without realising it, Ruki had blurted out the first thing on his mind. His face flushed again. He was steadily reverting back into a _teenager_.

When he saw the brunet’s face, however, he was glad that he had said that. The expression itself hadn’t changed, but the note of sadness had turned into a note of satisfaction.

“But you do feel things, right? I can read a bit.”

Ruki could see that the stranger was intrigued. Rubbing a hand against the nape of his neck, the stranger replied, “Faintly. But not strong enough to influence anything. No one’s ever been able to tell.”

“Well, you don’t seem to have a lot of company over,” Ruki remarked, referring to how the hut was isolated from the rest in the village.

“There’s a reason for that. But I did interact with people. I’m...distancing myself for a while. The situation made it necessary.”

All his answer had done was to leave Ruki more confused than before, but he didn’t let it show.

“What is it that you do?” he asks of the stranger.

For the first time since he had set foot into the hut, the subtle notes that he had been able to sense from the man disappeared. He smiled, but Ruki couldn’t tell if it meant something good or bad. And for some reason, he shivered.

“You could say that I order people around. For the greater good.” the brunet was nearly done cleaning Ruki up. Ruki sat in nothing but boxers and was nearly entirely clean.

“What do you do?” the stranger asked, not giving Ruki any time to press the previous topic further. Ruki found it curious, but decided to respect the man’s privacy.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he smiled weakly.

“You kill my countrymen.”

“We’re at war.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

Something told Ruki not to tell the man the whole truth. “It’s my job.”

The man nodded to himself. “I can respect that.”

Now it was Ruki’s turn to thank the other. He did it softly, his eyelids drooping close.

At hearing his words, Ruki could once again sense the other’s faint moods. He was... happy? It wasn’t due to the thank you. It felt like the sort of happiness when one solved a intricate puzzle, and it confused the general.

He wasn’t given the time to ponder it. Petting Ruki on the head once, the man informed him that he would go get new clothes for him. Ruki nodded, and waited for the brunet to return with his clothes.

When the man returned, Ruki swiftly changed into his new clothes. They were too large for him and hung awkwardly on his frame, but they were a much better option than his previously blood stained ones. Once he was done, he retrieved his belongings and stood to leave.

“Are you going back?” the brunet asked. He didn’t attempt to stop him.

Ruki nodded. He had enjoyed his conversation with the other, and had enjoyed meeting him, but he really did have to return.

“Alright then,” the other man was suddenly right before him. Leaning down, he left a light kiss on Ruki’s cheek, leaving Ruki flushed and blushing like a maniac. “What’s your name?”

Ruki hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of giving the stranger his real name, and decided that the risk wasn’t worth it. “I’m Ruki.”

The brunet smiled like he had expected that response. “Then, I’m Reita.”

Ruki felt a stab of disappointment at not knowing the other’s real name. He hadn’t given Reita his real name either, so maybe it was what he deserved.

Reita led him out of the house and pointed in the direction of a road. “That’s a trading path. It’s neutral territory and leads back to Anxi. You should be able to catch a ride back, so don’t do anything crazy like walk all the way there.”

Ruki winced. That was exactly what he had intended to do.

The action hadn’t gone unnoticed by Reita. “Don’t put too much stress on your injury. We’re very close to the border, so you’ll reach home fast.”

Turning to the other, Ruki dipped into a low bow. “Thank you for everything.”

“It was my pleasure,” Reita was still smiling. In the entire time they had been together, Reita’s slight smile hadn’t dropped at all. “I just told you not to put stress on your injury, didn’t I?” he seemed amused.

Ruki looked away bashfully.

“How cute,” Reita commented.

Upon hearing that, Ruki huffed and turned to walk away. However, he was stopped by Reita’s hand on his arm. With Ruki’s back still facing him, Reita leaned forward so his breath tickled Ruki’s ear. “You’re free to visit anytime.”

Before Ruki could respond, Reita had released him. He gave the smaller man a light push in the direction of the road and watched amusedly as Ruki ran, embarrassed, all the way til he was out of sight.

Only when Ruki had gone, did that saccharine smile finally drop. Tilting his head to one side in deep contemplation, Reita murmured softly into the still air.  
“I told you not to aggravate your injury, Matsumoto-san.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ruki was _this_ close to committing murder. 

Growling lowly in displeasure, he glared at the other occupant of the room. It was a sign for the other to shut up, but Kai had ignored it and was showing no signs of letting up whatsoever. 

“Come onnnnnn, Ki-chan, tell me about your crushhh,” Kai whined, fingers drumming impatiently against the wooden tabletop. 

How a strategy meeting had dissolved into a juicy gossip session Ruki didn’t know, but he did know that he wasn’t appreciative of it in the least. 

“There’s no crush!” Ruki insisted for the umpteenth time. He threw his hands into the air in frustration. 

Kai snorted. “I’ve known you since you were 14. I think I’ll know if my best friend has a crush. Now, what’s she like?”

“He,” Ruki corrected on instinct. 

There was a stunned silence for a while as Kai and Ruki both slowly processed the fact that Ruki had just accidentally confirmed all of Kai’s suspicions. 

Both of them also shattered that silence at the same time. Ruki, by groaning and plunging face first into the table; and Kai, by jumping up and pointing jubilantly at Ruki. “I knew it!” 

“Knew what?” A black haired man asked, strolling into the strategy room as if he owned it. It was Aoi, the last of their merry band, being fashionably late as usual. 

Upon hearing that voice, Ruki groaned further, raised his head to thump it back onto the tabletop, and resigned himself to full and utter humiliation. 

Sure enough, Kai happily informed Aoi of all he had missed. “Ruki met someone~” 

“Someone?” A devious grin stretched across Aoi’s face. Plonking down on the chair opposite Ruki, he propped his head up with a hand, “Spill it, chibi.” 

“Don’t we have strategy to discuss? You know, for the _war_?”

“You’ve never cared about strategy, Ki-chan,” Kai was unimpressed, “Now tell us all about him, before I tell Aoi here about all your escapades during our teenage years.” 

Ruki’s head shot up. Seeing Ruki’s eyes widen, Kai grinned, “Including the cosplay incident.” 

Ruki sucked in a harsh breath. “You wouldn’t.” 

“Try me.” 

Ruki’s shoulders slumped. He had been fully backed into a corner, and was being circled by two gossip hungry snakes. What else could he do? 

“Remember the time after you all left me for dead one week ago?” he glared at the two of them.

“You’re too angry to die,” Aoi waved it off. 

Ruki raised an eyebrow at that. “He bandaged me and saved my life.”

Both Kai and Aoi let out drawn out “Ooh”s. 

“And he looks like?” Aoi prompted him. 

“Brown hair, blue eyes, lean and wiry but pretty strong, and calluses on his hands from either farm work or weaponry,” Ruki listed, frowning at the last bit. There had been no sign of weapons or farming equipment when he had been at Reita’s house, but Ruki had recognised the brunet’s hands as those belonging to someone used to wielding either one. He also imparted the whole account of what had occurred in the hut, including a basic summary of what the two of them had talked about. 

“He didn’t tell you anything about himself at all,” Kai realised, “except for the emotions thing.” Ruki nodded. 

“So he’s hot, kind and mysterious,” Aoi’s eyes widened in mock shock, “Ruki, do you know what this means?”

“He’s exactly your type-” “ _Husband material_ -” Ruki’s fellow generals teased at the same time, accidentally cutting each other off. Realising what they had just done, they shared a high five across the table and turned back to Ruki to interrogate him further. 

Eyes darting desperately to find a way out, Ruki finally spied a truly beautiful sight walking through the door. “Your majesty,” Ruki smiled brightly at him. Kai and Aoi jumped and scuttled back into position, shooting Ruki dirty looks as they did so. “You’re a life saver.”  
—  
Just as Ruki had expected, the other two generals weren’t done with the matter yet. The very moment the meeting ended, they had snatched Ruki away from the strategy room and had dragged him to a remote area of the imperial castle. Upon reaching their destination, they had set Ruki down and backed him into a corner so he couldn’t escape. 

“So...” Kai and Aoi shared a look. Ruki wasn’t dense. He was, in fact, remarkably astute in matters that concerned the emotions of others, and knew immediately what they wished to discuss. Although they had joked about it, his co-workers weren’t dense either. They knew the dangers of meeting mysterious men, especially on the wrong side of the border, and he knew that they were worried. 

Kai broached the subject first. “Are you going to see him again?” 

“Normally we would encourage you with all we have,” Aoi interjected, “but he’s most definitely shady.” 

“He said I could go see him anytime...and I...want to thank him. After that, I probably won’t see him ever again,” Ruki shrugged, “It’s just minor infatuation anyway.” 

Kai and Aoi shared another look. 

“We just discussed it. We’ll be fighting in that same area a lot,” Kai mentioned tenderly. 

“We can cover for you after the next battle,” Aoi offered, sending a genuine smile the other general’s way. 

Ruki perked up, excitement bubbling through his normally grumpy demeanour. Clutching Aoi’s hands with his own, he jumped up and down a couple of times while thanking him profusely. Nearly immediately afterwards, he was called away by a servant, and Aoi and Kai were left alone in that secluded corner. 

Once again, Kai was the first to bring up the subject that they were both thinking about. “Brown hair, blue eyes and known to be emotionless...” the gaze he directed at Aoi was devoid of any humour, “It rings a few bells.” 

“What are the chances?” even though it was Aoi questioning Kai’s insinuation, he seemed just as confident in it as Kai himself. 

“The both of us can recognise him on sight,” Kai chewed on his lower lip nervously, “Ruki’s never cared about that sort of thing and wouldn’t be able to. I know he’s more than capable of looking after himself, but...” Kai sighed. “I’ll do some digging.” 

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him so happy. It’ll be cruel to ruin that...” 

Aoi is silent for a while. 

“But if it really is him...” 

Kai completed Aoi’s sentence, voicing the fear that had taken root in both of their hearts. “Ruki might not return alive.”  
\---  
Blood, gore, leaves and twigs. These had been the things Ruki had been covered in the first time he had discovered the isolated hut. The second time he stepped into that clearing, he lacked all of them. His injuries were all treated, the blood all wiped off, and a deep red cloak was strewn over his slight shoulders. 

One thing, however, remained the same. He had no idea how the encounter with Reita would go down. It might be nearly identical to the last time. He would step in, Reita would be nice to him, and they would talk until Ruki had to leave. Or, Reita could have disappeared, could be lying in wait for him with an explosive powerful enough to blow half the country to hell, or could be secretly pole dancing in that hut. Who knew? Certainly not Ruki. 

As he stood hesitantly before the hut’s door, all these thoughts flew through his mind. He had travelled all the way back here after his last battle had ended. Yet, he still couldn’t decide. Would he risk it and knock on the near stranger’s door, or would he just chicken out and run away like a coward? 

As Ruki pondered this dilemma, he suddenly let out a dry chuckle. If he were that nervous about simply meeting a man, then he truly did have it bad. Upon coming to this realisation, Ruki underwent a series of different moods, starting with “Ah crap, not again”, to “I hate it when Kai and Aoi are right”, and finally, to the all powerful ,“Ah. Fuck it.”

Ruki raised a hand and knocked twice.

Barely a moment had passed before the door swung open. Inside stood Reita, smiling gently, looking amused, and wearing a... 

“A noseband?!” Ruki exclaimed, gawking openly. The sight left him so shocked that he immediately forgot about his intentions to keep their meeting as short as possible. 

Reita didn’t seem surprised at Ruki’s sudden appearance and exclamation. “Yup,” he confirmed, tapping a finger against the white cloth. 

He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorframe. “It’s nice to see you too.” 

Ruki flushed. There was something about Reita that made him blurt out whatever he was thinking, and it was utterly embarrassing him. “Hi... Sorry for that,” he apologised weakly, wincing all the while. 

“It’s not an issue,” Reita waved it off. He stepped back and held the door open wider, “Are you coming in?”

“Ah...no...I’m not really here to-“ Ruki was quick to answer in the negative, but was cut off when Reita grabbed hold of his forearm. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Reita tugged Ruki into his home. Before he knew it, Reita had directed Ruki onto his couch and was inspecting him for injuries. 

He blinked slowly. That had been... unexpected. 

“You seem fine,” Reita declared, letting Ruki’s left arm fall back to his side. Even in a dazed state, Ruki could sense that Reita was happy to find him unharmed. 

That fact left something warm and fuzzy in his chest. 

“I can’t stay long,” he blurted out. Breaking out of his daze, he jumped at the chance to put down some limitations before Reita could pull anything else, “I just came to thank you for saving my life.”

Reita’s lips twitched at that, telling Ruki that the other was disappointed. However, he truly couldn’t stay. He had no idea how long Kai and Aoi could hide his absence, and the less time he spent at Reita’s, the better. 

Steeling his heart, Ruki’s lips stretched in a polite smile. “I’m your enemy, but you helped me anyways. I am immensely grateful,” he got up and dipped into a low bow, “You’re an incredibly kind person, Reita-san.” 

Reita chuckled at his words. “Just Reita is fine.” 

There was a moment of silence. Reita was staring at Ruki expectantly, while Ruki, fully aware of that gaze, was fiddling with the loose threads of his cloak. 

Perhaps Reita didn’t mean to, but he was placing immense pressure on Ruki. The diminutive general felt stressed out to extents he rarely ever experienced.  
Reita’s patient gaze was making him incredibly uncomfortable, and the result of it was that at that moment, Ruki was leaning more towards the option “dance a jig with the grim reaper” than “start a conversation like a normal person”. (There was a reason why his job _was_ to put people to eternal rest and _not_ to take them out for tea.)

Ruki had come with two objectives in mind. Firstly, to thank his mysterious saviour, which  
he had just done, and secondly, to gift him something for his assistance. That one... wasn’t going so well. 

He nervously ran his fingers over a velvet box hidden in the folds of his cloak. He had chosen something he himself liked, but as he glanced at Reita’s unadorned wrists, neck and ears, he was having second thoughts. Most men didn’t appreciate receiving jewellery as gifts, Ruki recalled with a wince. Why did this sort of thing always slip his mind?

Ruki didn’t want to take the chance that Reita wouldn’t see the present as a jab at his masculinity. There was nothing for Ruki to do but to play it safe. Shoving the box deeper into the red fabric, he silently heaved a sigh and made to stand. Maybe he could come around again to give Reita something else... 

Reita nullified that option the very instant he reached into Ruki’s cloak. Ruki reacted a split second too late. His hand managed to fleetingly come into contact with the edge of the case as he sprung up in an attempt to get it back. 

Reita chuckled at his reaction and raised the box above his head. “For me?” 

“Obviously not-“ 

Reita raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Remember what I said?” 

Curse it, Ruki did. “Fine, it is,” he grudgingly admitted, sitting back down on the couch as he did so. If he was going to be thrown out, he was going to enjoy the amenities the best he could before it. “You won’t like it, so don’t-“

Reita opened it. 

Ruki could see Reita’s eyes flickering with surprise. “It’s...” Reita picked the silver cross necklace up, “beautiful.” 

It was Ruki’s turn to blink in surprise. “You like it?” 

Reita brought the necklace closer to his face for further inspection. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Ruki’s sigh of relief echoed in the hut. 

“This is Matsumoto jewellery,” Reita had flipped the pendant over and was staring at the words carved into it. Ruki could read incredulousness in his tone. “Jewellery from that duchy is so expensive.” 

“It’s fine.” Ruki was mildly scared that Reita would try to give the necklace back, “It’s my design. It wasn’t that costly.” 

“Only family members design their jewellery,” Reita mused out loud. “You’re a Matsumoto.” 

Ruki supposed it had been too much to ask for Reita not to draw that link. He smiled weakly. “Estranged one. It’s a pretty old piece.” 

Reita frowned. “But there’re only-“ 

Ruki kicked him. He regretted it the moment Reita winced, but he didn’t come all the way to another country to discuss his dismal family life. 

Fortunately, Reita got the hint. “Sorry, I’ll let you choose what to talk about, then.”

“Talk about?” When had that been decided? “No, I need to leave-“ 

“You can leave,” Reita sat down across him, “After we talk.” 

“Why?!” 

There was a shrug. “I get bored here.” 

Ruki opened his mouth to argue.

“And is it a crime to want to know you better?” Reita leaned forward and rested his head on a hand. 

Ruki deliberated for a while. Reita was blocking the door and he did owe the man a lot. Hesitantly, he agreed. 

Reita instantly attacked his heart with a wide smile. His words did similarly, but in a totally different manner. “You have 3 seconds to suggest a topic, or we’re discussing you today.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“3.”

Ruki’s mind was still in the middle of processing everything that had just happened. 

“2.” 

Eh? 

“1-“

“Your noseband!” The words slipped out before Ruki could stop them. 

Reita paused for a while. Ruki winced, afraid that he had touched on a sensitive subject, until Reita burst out into the first real laugh Ruki had ever heard from him. 

“My noseband?” Reita echoed once he had regained his composure. 

“You put me in a spot.” 

“Not one for split second decision making, I see,” Reita was smiling wider than usual, “But we can talk about this.” He tugged gently at the cloth around his face. “What do you want to know?” 

“What made you wear it?” Ruki tilted his head to a side. He was curious. 

“A dog mauled me when I younger,” Reita explained, shrugging, “I had to wear a bandage around the place which was injured,” he pointed to his nose, “and while it healed with no scarring, I never stopped wearing the noseband. I usually wear it, but on that day where we first met I was having it washed. Most people won’t even be able to recognise me without it anymore.” 

Ruki gaped, incredulous. “You hide that,” he pointed at Reita’s face, “Under that?” now he pointed at Reita’s noseband. “Willingly?” 

“It looks cool.” Reita seemed a tiny bit offended. 

Ruki snorted. Reita looked so good without the noseband that he wouldn’t care even if the strip of cloth made him look like the coolest man alive. He, naturally, did not voice this out. 

Instead, his brows furrowed as he realised something. “Am I the only person who’s seen you without the noseband?” 

Reita’s eyebrows raised in amusement. “My best friend sees it from time to time. But yes, other than that.” 

Ah. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ 

Chuckling, Reita reached out and ruffled Ruki’s hair. “It’s fine. I don’t mind if it’s you.”

Ruki flushed. “I don’t even know you!” 

“Yet.” 

“Yet?!” 

Reita couldn’t help it. Ruki looked _too_ adorable, and a rare string of laughter bubbled up in his throat for the second time that day. 

This irritated Ruki. “Why’re you always laughing at me?!” 

Reita recovered fast. “That’s a question for another day,” he teased. 

At Ruki’s displeased expression, Reita reached over and ruffled his hair. “If I satisfy all your curiosity in one sitting, you’ll never come back.” His words were making Ruki blush. “One question per visit is all I’m going to answer.” 

Ruki opened his mouth to protest. However, Reita shushed him and reminded gently, “Don’t you have to go?” 

Ruki’s eyes shot to the clock on the wall. When he saw how late it’d gotten, he jumped up from his seat, cursing as he did so. “I’ve stayed for way too long, they’re going to _kill_ me-“ 

Reita watched all this with amusement. He placed a hand on Ruki’s shoulder as he showed him to the door. “Calm down. You’ll be back home in no time.” 

Ruki breathed in deeply as he stepped out of the door. Reita’s aura was just too hard to resist. “Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Reita seemed to be waiting for him to leave. It was hard to admit, but Ruki didn’t...he didn’t want to leave. He lingered at the doorway. He would never see Reita again, and he couldn’t bear the thought of that. 

His thoughts were interrupted as Reita bopped him on the nose. “So,” the brunet asked, “I’ll see you after your next battle, then. It’ll be my turn to ask a question, though.” 

“Huh-“ 

Reita cut him off with a chaste kiss on his cheek. The contact made Ruki’s face flare as his mind to jerked to a sudden stop. 

“Hmm?” Reita prompted when he drew back, amused at how red Ruki’s face had gotten. 

“.Yeah...I’ll..see you,” Ruki replied. He was in a near daze, and seemed rather unsteady on his feet. 

This time, Reita nipped at his ear. “Good boy. Don’t make me wait too long, okay?” he made Ruki promise. 

Still in a daze, the general did. He stayed in a doorway with Reita until what Reita had just done to him set in in his mind. Drawing back instantly, his entire body flushed bright crimson as his eyes widened. 

“Bye,” Reita waved. 

Ruki squeaked in response. Turning on his heel as fast as he could, he once again sped off the trading path, only slowing once he was out of Reita’s sight. 

As he was waiting for a ride, Ruki brought his fingers up to caress the places Reita had kissed. His face still flushed, he muttered under his breath, “Like I’ll come back, moron.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh it's moving so slow but things happen very soon i promise  
> \--  
> please do leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed this and thank you for reading <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i took so long, but i hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ruki had never known that rage could be such a good motivator. 

On the woodland plain that served as their battlefield, dull red dried beside the vibrancy of blooming poppy flowers. The stench of blood mingled with the cries of the fallen, creating a solemn desolation unique to war, while threads of despair twirled above it all like pollen grains darting between swaying leaf stalks. Next to the border of the forest that Ruki had gotten lost in weeks earlier, the remaining troops hacked at each other as they trod upon the bodies of their fallen brethren. Every now and then one would fall to the ground, lifeless, or worse : still alive, and writhing to the slow death that awaited them. 

Throughout the whole battle, the general had been mindlessly barreling through enemy ranks; endlessly slicing, stabbing and spilling blood. Exhaustion dogged his every step, but the moment his sword arm faltered, the memory of his sister’s words would come to mind and a head would roll.

Victory was already theirs. The Yaguo commander and the Anxi general had crossed paths early in the battle, and Ruki had been the only one to walk out of it. With no leader for half of the battle, the Yaguo army had descended into chaotic disarray. His forces were just cleaning up the scraps. 

Under normal circumstances, Ruki would have found a way to end the battle right there. However, in his current situation, anger had tinted his vision so red he wasn’t thinking straight. 

_His sister’s eyes, cold as flint, flashing in his vision as she gestured at a servant to dump his things outside._

Tendons were severed, bones were broken, and he smeared more red onto his gleaming blades.

_His sister’s voice, telling him to get lost if he didn’t intend to continue sending her his designs. Calling him worthless, useless, living trash._

He carved a wide smile into a soldier’s throat. 

_His sister, whom he had loved and respected and adored, calmly telling him that she would have been happier if he’d died on the battlefield and had never come back. All before slamming the doors shut behind her._

He lodged a blade into an exposed chest, hissing as a thin line was drawn on his cheek. He kicked the body away, leaving his dagger in the corpse, and spun away to face another adversary. Blood, sweat and tears dripped to the ground. 

He had practically been kicked out of the line of succession. Ruki always had issues with his family; his father had been an asshat and his mother a scornful hag, but his sister had been his constant. When his parents’ snobbery and cruelty had driven him to join the army, she had cried as she attempted to hold him back. 

But after she had gotten married, all that had changed. It had been little things at first. The slow decline of concerned letters, the steady increase of impatient demands for more of the sought after designs he did for their family’s jewellery business, and finally, an ultimatum reaching his door. 

While he was away, greed had warped his sister. Perhaps it was just a part of her she’d kept hidden for many years, or it was her shady husband’s worrying influence, but either way, what was done was done. His elder sister had made it clear that if he wished to continue being acknowledged as the heir to the Matsumoto Duchy, he would have to feed what was now _her_ business with his more and more of his own designs. 

For his sister, Ruki would have done so willingly. However, he did have a job. His post as a high ranking general kept him busy. The flow of designs had no choice but to slow to a trickle.

In the end, they had both snapped. Her, upon realising that he wasn’t providing her with what she wanted: and him, upon realising that she cared for nothing more than the money his artistic talent could bring in. 

To be used by the person one loved the most was the greatest form of betrayal. 

He had the right to be angry. Once they had heard the news, Aoi and Kai had offered to storm right there and wrest the duchy back for Ruki. But as tempting as it sounded, Ruki had declined.

It wasn’t that Ruki wasn’t steaming with anger. It was that the feeling of loss at his sister’s actions overwhelmed that emotion. 

It was just how Ruki was. Anger came fast and went just as swiftly. The rest of his emotional spectrum, sadness, grief, happiness and love, stayed until they had firmly etched a place in Ruki’s heart. He felt strongly, hurt strongly, and loved strongly, so despite it all, he still loved his sister. 

It was all confusing him, twisting into intricate knots in his head. He loved her, he hated her, he was angry enough to leave her and move on with his life, but he loved her. How could one just stop loving a person, much less a sibling?

Ruki didn’t know. He wished he could. 

The complexity of his emotions was taking him on one immensely wild ride. Ruki hated to ponder on such things, it hurt him, and thus, he took refuge in the one thing he knew best. Bloodshed. 

Just the swiftness of a fent, the screech of metal on metal, and bruising skin as he ditched his blades and fought hand to hand. He was at it for ages, only satisfied once the scattered remains of the enemy bode a hasty retreat, and finally, Ruki let his world go dark. 

\---

“You seemed to be punishing yourself a lot for something you couldn’t control,” Reita remarked, gently changing Ruki’s bandages. Ruki had just finished recounting the events that led up to him collapsing face first at the edge of the forest. 

For some reason, Reita had been passing by on the way home and had taken him in to nurse him back to health. The first thing Ruki had seen once he had woken up was the brown spiky hair and trademark noseband. He had smiled groggily, murmured “what a lovely dream”, and then rolled off the bed in shock when Reita reached over to feel for his temperature. 

In his embarrassment, Ruki had been quick to spill the full explanation for him being near death again, and he had been so flustered that he hadn’t left out anything. Even his dismal family life. 

Ruki looked down bashfully, “It won’t happen again,” he promised. _He wouldn’t be duped by love again._ How cruel could the universe be, anyway? 

Reita stared at him, seemingly more stoic than usual. Ruki could sense that he was displeased. “It wasn’t your fault,” Reita’s tone was dispassionate. However, his hands around Ruki’s waist remained as gentle as ever, and fortunately, he dropped the topic once he saw Ruki looking uncomfortable.

Once Reita finished up with the bandaging, he smiled at the injured man. His expression had a resigned air to it. “I know the drill. You should be able to manage the ride back home, so-“ 

“No!” Ruki blurted out instinctively. He couldn’t go back. Happy memories of his sister and him lingered in the city he called home, and it was too painful for him to bear. He was frantically shaking his head as he rushed to explain. “She’s there and I’ve probably been disinherited and going back would be bad…” He gestured weakly in the air, “Please.” 

For the longest moment, Reita was still, sowing a seed of fear within Ruki. He was beginning to suspect that he would soon be thrown out until a wide, radiant smile appeared on the brunet’s face.

“Then, you can stay,” Reita beamed, shocking Ruki motionless. Ruki could count on one hand the number of genuine smiles and laughs he had seen from the brunet, and _that_ had been by far the warmest. “For as long as you need.” 

That had been the first time Ruki had made a conscious decision to stay overnight. Naturally, Ruki left in the end, but it had already broken down certain barriers that Ruki had erected to keep a distance between him and Reita.

Every night, each and every offense he was committing through his affiliation with Reita ran through his mind.  
Constantly visiting a member of an enemy state, lying to his superiors, leaking confidential information, (possibly) engaging in a homosexual relationship, intimacy with an enemy...

And yet, when Reita finally kissed him, Ruki had kissed him back, returned his embrace, and realised that he never, ever, wanted to let the man in his arms go. 

\---

Ruki was sprawled out on Reita’s bed. Legs kicking lazily in the air, he toyed with the white strip of cloth in his hands as the sound of Reita showering in the adjacent room reverberated in the enclosed space. 

While he worked on the budding masterpiece in his hands, he hummed softly to himself. He didn’t notice when Reita stepped out of the shower. 

“Are you making origami with my noseband?” the brunet snorted as he towelled his wet hair. He was _only_ shirtless, but that alone was enough for Ruki to avert his eyes awkwardly. Ruki might have french kissed the man a couple of times, but he knew that it didn’t mean that they were together.

Ignoring Reita for the time being, Ruki made one last fold, petted it firmly into shape, and raised it up triumphantly for Reita to see. 

“A boat?” Reita took it from him. Disregarding Ruki’s protests, he tied it back onto his face. 

“I worked hard on that!” 

Reita positioned himself beside the petite blond and pulled him onto his lap. “And it was a very nice boat.” 

Even though he growled, Ruki still snuggled up into Reita’s embrace. 

“I will smack you in your very nice face.” 

“My lap, my rules. No smacking allowed.” 

“That's ridiculous.” 

Reita moved so that his face was only inches away from the blond’s. Trailing his fingers down Ruki’s face, he softly whispered, “Deal with it,” before delivering a sweet kiss to his lips. For the next few minutes, they sat together in silence, cuddling, kissing, and enjoying each other’s company. 

Finally, Reita broke the silence. “Why a boat?” he asked, nuzzling gently down Ruki’s neck. 

Ruki held Reita tighter, pressing their chests together. “It’s like…to go somewhere, far away on the sea. It’s a lot like a dream. To go somewhere where your past doesn’t bind you and you can leave your responsibilities behind.”

Ruki hesitated for a while. Reita had stopped kissing his neck and was listening intently.  
“It’s just…being with you feels like a dream. No one’s ever seen me for _just_ me,” he smiled sadly, “If you knew what everyone saw me as, this would end. And I would wake up. Because of who I am, we’ll…never last.”

When he looked up into Reita’s eyes, what he saw took his breath away. Reita was tearing up, his eyes were glassy, and all he saw in those chocolate orbs were waves upon waves of guilt. Ruki didn’t know why Reita felt guilty, but his stoic, calm friend was in wallowing in guilt, and that fact alone upset him more than his spiel just now. 

However, before he could do anything about it, he blinked, and all of what he had seen disappeared from Reita’s face.

Reita pet his head as he pulled him in for a hug. It was always like that. Him, the monster, getting emotional, and Reita, someone he didn’t deserve, calming him down. 

“I’m here now,” Reita reassured him, “For as long as you need me, I’ll be here.” 

It was Ruki’s turn for his eyes to fill up with tears. “Liar,” he laughed weakly.

Reita wiped away the lone tear that had rolled onto his cheek. “I’ll prove it,” he murmured, kissing Ruki’s eyelids gently, “Go on a date with me.” 

Ruki can’t exactly remember what happened next. Maybe he cried or squealed or just squeezed Reita tightly until he was satisfied, but what he did remember was that all those came after he said yes. 

They cuddled until Ruki fell asleep. In his slumber, he didn’t see how Reita caressed his cheek like he was the most precious thing in the world. And Ruki didn’t hear him either, as Reita lay down beside him and took him into his arms, when he whispered, “I’ll be here, for as long as I can afford to.” 

—

There were children playing in the sunlit square. To the lilting sounds of the Yaguo dialect, Ruki, decked out in his most inconspicuous all black outfit, shifted his weight impatiently from one foot to another. As he watched dark haired children mess around beside an immense water fountain, he fiddled nervously with the strap of his white surgical mask, the other hand twisting knots in his shirt. 

Being smack dab in the middle of enemy territory was a horrible idea even _out_ of wartime. Now that the two countries were at war, the consequences of him being discovered were no longer simple deportation back to Anxi in chains. Ruki winced as images of his possible fate flashed before his eyes.  
So why, exactly, was Ruki still there? In the godforsaken _capital_ too? Every inch of his good sense was screaming at him to pull a fast one and skedaddle, and yet… 

Even as all his senses twitched and his mind began plotting speedy escape routes, his gaze wandered back to a well-dressed brunet collecting street snacks a few meters away. Ruki’s face flushed. 

Weeks ago, during a particularly embarrassing exchange Ruki preferred not to dwell on, Reita had asked him out on a date. Ruki had agreed. Reita had been jubilant, then hadn’t mentioned a single thing about it, before asking Ruki if he minded going into his country’s capital for their first date. 

Ruki had been about to disagree. But then, Reita had explained how he wanted to acquaint the smaller man with his culture (and prove to him that he wasn’t a lonely hermit living in a small hut in the middle of nowhere). That had softened his heart, but the damming moment only came when Reita finished off his spiel with a heartrending, hope filled smile. How could Ruki say no to that? 

And so there he was. Fidgety, uncomfortable, and plotting the deaths of everyone around him. The only good thing about being in Yaguo was that the people were so tall, they doubled as shade for anyone below 5’5. Just as Ruki was taking comfort in that fact, an unpleasant memory came unbidden to his mind. Earlier, a small child had bumped into him and, as his mother pulled him away, the child had pointed a pudgy finger and called out “short uncle” in Yaguo tongue. (Ruki didn’t normally despise children, but he also couldn’t say that he didn’t consider kicking the rude kid to the mediterranean coast.) Ruki’s brows furrowed in distaste. He had been wrong. There was _nothing_ good about this damned country. 

“This is why we’re at war, you tall dumb morons,” he muttered under his breath, shooting daggers at that now giggling kid. “What do they teach the children here anyway?”

“Good things only, I hope,” Reita suddenly appeared before him. After passing the meat skewer to the smaller man, he grabbed Ruki’s free hand and pulled him away from the crowded square. The gesture was pleasantly surprising, and Ruki had never been so thankful for a face mask in his life. 

Biting into his food before offering it to Ruki, he laughed softly as Ruki scrambled to undo his mask and tiptoed to bite down on the meat. 

“Will you grow if I feed you enough?” 

Swallowing his food with a pleased expression, Ruki grinned charmingly back, “You’re certainly welcome to try.”  
Reita offered more food to him in reply. For the next few minutes, they walked in silence. Reita was leading the way to his house in the city. They continued like that for a while, with Ruki snacking comfortably along the way, until he accidentally brushed against the strap of his surgical mask. It fluttered away. 

Cursing steadily, he shoved the skewer to Reita and ducked away into a dark alleyway after it. The mask glided in the wind. It stayed just inches away from his fingertips, frustratingly elusive, he made a small jump and grasped it tightly with both hands. 

Ruki grinned triumphantly, turned to go back, and realised that he wasn’t alone. 

The first thing he saw were the 6 laughing men, some leaning on the back wall of a tavern as they chatted. The second thing he saw was the red and blue Yaguo military colours. And the third thing he saw, the sight that made his blood run cold, were the three posters right beside the soldiers, each depicting one Anxi general. 

There was a tense silence as the two parties stared at each other. 

Ruki saw, as if it were in slow-mo, the exact moment all the soldiers simultaneously turned back. They all drew an instant connection. 

Ruki was on the verge of panic; the _worst-case scenario_ was playing out right before his eyes. He was cornered, alone and unarmed. Reita was going to find out… and Ruki was probably going to die. (When had his priorities become so twisted?) 

Ruki barely had any time to wonder at how much Reita had affected him. Returning his attention to the enemy soldiers, he realised that they had all unsheathed their swords and shifted into position. The odds were 4 unarmed men to 1 defenseless one, and while it pained Ruki to call anything he was involved in less than gorgeous, he would have to admit that the odds weren’t looking all that good. 

For a split second, he considered fleeing. However, there was a chance that they would run into Reita, something Ruki wanted to avoid at all costs. And so, when one of the men came into close proximity, Ruki didn’t give him time to react. He slipped under the man’s guard, elbowing him in the face, and grinned as the man’s sword dropped to the floor. 

The next few minutes were a blur. After picking the sword up from the ground, Ruki dispatched the soldiers as swiftly as possible. Swiftly ducking around the men, he ended their lives with the efficiency he was famed for. Most of them dropped like flies, and soon, he found one last man, furious and unharmed, before him. 

Ruki bit on his lower lip anxiously. He needed to return as fast as possible. Reita would suspect something. Shifting his grip on his borrowed sword, Ruki made to finish the soldier off. 

That was the exact moment Reita walked into the alleyway. 

It was twice as slow this time. Watching Reita take in his bloodied sword, the bodies on the floor, and finally, his face. Depicted on a some military recruitment propaganda calling him a bloodthirsty monster. 

Ruki had made a huge mistake. He should have just let the mask go, or run instead of engaging. “Reita-” he took a step forward, fearing the response from that stoic figure. He didn’t even know what he could say. _So maybe I’m a general wanted for murdering hundreds of your countrymen, but I’m sorry?_

He reached a free hand out, dropping his guard. Reita was so still and he’d never wanted him to find out and he didn’t know how to make this right and-  
Ruki was too late in seeing flash of silver as it curved towards his chest. 

Choking out a curse, Ruki jumped away as fast as he could, but he already knew it was futile. In that split second alone, his rapidly calculating mind had told him that there was no way to block that blade. 

The soldier was close. At the distance, Ruki could see, clearly, the tears and rage he had caused. His eyes snapped shut, preparing for death.

But it never came. Instead, he heard a shocked curse in Yaguo tongue. For a moment, he was afraid that Reita had been injured, but once he opened his eyes, he saw the soldier staggering backwards. Blood leaked from a thin cut on his cheek. 

Looking around incredulously, Ruki spotted Reita on the sidelines. In his hands was a slim throwing knife, identical to the one that had just cluttered to the floor. 

Ruki didn’t let himself be distracted a second time. Taking advantage of the opportunity Reita had given him, he buried the sword in the soldier’s chest. He didn’t let go until the light fully faded from his eyes. 

Not wanting to turn around, Ruki let the body join the others on the ground. It fell with a low thump. 

“So…” even without looking, Ruki knew that Reita was studying the posters, “General. Of the three western devils.”  
Ruki nodded once. 

“This is a...horribly unflattering picture,” Reita remarked.

Ruki couldn’t help it. He choked back a laugh. 

“I’ll make sure to model properly in jail,” despite his smile, he still hadn’t turned around. 

“Ruki.” 

Ruki begun a thorough inspection of his blade. 

“Ruki.” 

Was that dust near to the hilt? He frowned. Poor weapon maintenance never got you anywhere. 

“Ruki.”

This time, Reita didn’t give him time to react. His arms wrapped around the smaller man’s shivering frame, shocking the general into dropping his sword. 

“You’re injured,” Reita pointed out, fingers skirting around the edges of a bleeding wound on his upper thigh. Ruki nodded again. Seemingly without his permission, his body was sinking into that familiar embrace. 

“Ruki. I’ll need to treat this at home. Please?” 

Ruki blinked back tears as he nodded. He had just _killed a man_. And Reita wanted to _take care_ of him. Ruki was happy that Reita didn’t hate him, he really was, but why did he have to be so good? 

Why, when with every moment, with every inch of happiness he felt, Ruki only hated himself more and more? 

“Ruki?” Reita was beginning to sound concerned. His arms tightened around his lover. 

Reita really was too good for him. The least he could do was not make him worry. “Yeah,” Ruki finally responded, turning so he faced Reita. He gave the brunet his steadiest, most comforting smile, “Let’s go home.” 

\---

_Ruki should have seen the signs_

“What’s your real name, Reita?” Ruki was slowly licking mint chocolate ice cream, courtesy of Reita. 

Perhaps he had imagined it, but Reita tensed up for a moment. “Akira,” he told him after a brief pause. 

“Just Akira?” 

Reita took Ruki’s ice cream from him. Holding it an arm’s length away, he moved in and captured his lover’s lips with his own, kissing him passionately until Ruki moaned into his mouth. 

“Yes,” at that moment, if Ruki’s mind had been any less fogged up with lust, he would have seen the shadows in Reita’s eyes, “Just Akira.” 

_But he hadn’t._

“So what’s your real name, Ruki?” They were walking, hands entwined, down the busy Yaguo streets. To avoid being recognised, Ruki was wearing a half-face panda mask that Reita had procured. 

Ruki frowned. He wiped a spot of blood off his wrist as he grumbled, “You already know.” 

“ _You_ didn’t tell me.” 

Ruki bit on his lip in silence. 

“I want to hear it from you.”

“It’s...my name is Matsumoto Takanori,” after those words, Ruki glanced up at Reita, checking for his reaction.

Reita smiled. Pulling the both of them to a sudden stop, he turned until he was face to face with his boyfriend. “It’s a very nice name.” He pretended to frown slightly, “Can’t say that I love the surname, but that’s a very cute first name belonging to a very adorable man.” 

Ruki smacked Reita’s chest gently. “I’m not cute, you monster,” he complained. Ruki kept a displeased expression on his face, but the blond was pretty sure that Reita was fully aware of how happy Ruki was at his words.

Reita playfully tugged at a loose strand of Ruki’s hair. “I was about to offer the cute injured man a piggyback ride back to my house, but since he doesn’t seem to exist, I guess it’s not possible.” 

Ruki gaped at Reita. Tendrils of pain had been shooting up his leg in slow, steady throbs. He really, really needed the rest that ride would provide him, and Reita knew that. “That’s low.” 

Reita raised an eyebrow. Through the twitching of his lips, Ruki could tell that Reita was holding in a joke about his height. 

Ruki’s eyes narrowed. However, before he could begin his attack, Reita spun on his heel and bent down before him, offering to him that aforementioned ride. 

“Just so you know,” the brunet told him as he straightened, holding Ruki’s legs in place as they encircled his waist, “you’re super cute.” 

Ruki opened his mouth to protest, and then promptly shut it again, as Reita added on, laughing, “And you were the one who got on. I don’t make the rules.”

Ruki began to frown. _Yes, he had-_

“Also, protest and you might fall.” 

After that, Ruki shut up for good. He settled for lying on Reita’s back in sullen silence, occasionally delivering petty kicks to Reita’s legs as he fumed. 

_Because he had been too busy falling in love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was super fun to write, so hopefully it was as fun to read as it was to create :) this might also be the last happy chapter ahah  
> \--  
> Please do leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed the work and thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> *Country of Ya is essentially 鸭国. Duck country. I can't name things i'm sorry!  
> **Yaguo = 鸭国  
> ***Yamin = 鸭民, which means citizen of the duck country \\(;-;)/  
> \----  
> Please do leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed the work and thank you for reading!


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